Leading real hands on tech review site in Ireland with technology, business news and more. Jim O Brien Tech.
Author: Jim O Brien/CEO
CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.
We all have alarm clocks or use our mobiles to wake us up,however in a fast paced world and with different shifts etc we find families might have different rising times and this can cause some discomfort in the house by waking others up. Now there is a solution.
How does this work
Once you’re awoken, Wakē will reposition itself should you roll over and shut itself off when you get up. You can always snooze or deactivate any alarm using the Wake app.
Wakē uses a parametric speaker (like a laser beam of sound) to deliver focused, soothing sounds that start quietly, and grow louder slowly as the light beam grows brighter. Since Wakē’s light and sound is aimed at you, your partner can rest peacefully while you wake up energized.
What is inside Wakē
Wakē has its own app that works like a regular alarm clock app — Just tell Wakē which side of the bed you sleep, and how you want to wake up.
Wakē installs easily in about a minute with a screwdriver. Just stand on your bed and fix the mounting bracket to the wall above your headboard. Wakē runs on rechargeable batteries and only needs a recharge a few times per year. The Wakē app lets you know when it’s time to plug in the included power cord.
This will go down a treat in my place,see more over HERE about Wakē
We have had our Jabra headset just over a week now and its time to share my thoughts on these which proved a worthy headset considered its price bracket,i’m normally a fan of high end headphones but its nice to check out what’s new and thanks to Jabra they have sent use the Jabra Move Wireless Headset.. Aimed at the sports and fitness gurus here is what we think.
First off the packaging is not cheap and i would push it towards a more premium packaging,(see video for more) We are presented with a nice case and on opening we are then presented with the headset itself covered with plastic,surrounding the headphones is a nice foam cushion which protects the headset during shipping and personal use should you prefer to carry them in the case.Underneath the headset them comes some instructions,a USB cable for charging the headset and then a wired cable which can be handy if you should run out of power.Also included is a start up guide..
Cups
The headphone cups are comfortable to say the least and block out external noise,they nestle quite well on your ears and are not tight fitting like some headsets can be which make them non obstructive and they are not huge cups either they are probably just about right,the material is soft and durable and can be kept clean easily.There is some noise leakage but this can be expected depending on volume.
Adjusting the headphones is simple although you will at first need to apply some force as they are new,the strap is robust and made from metal and thin and the cable is not too long and does not interfere in any way nor do you feel it.
HeadBand
The HeadBand is thin and flexible and covered with robust mesh material so this will last quite some time and can be also easily cleaned,the material is tough but you don’t feel a rough feel from it and it does not snag in your hair so comfort here is optimum.
The controls are simple to use and small,one one side we have the volume toggle and multiplay feature buttons,these are small so it will take time to adjust to finding them once you use regularly you will naturally find them with finger,On the same side we have the 3.5mm headset jack which we can plug in to use them wired should you not have a bluetooth enabled device or if you are travelling on an airplane for example. On the other side we have the micro usb port where we charge the headphones,this is the only way they can be charged,there is also a switch to pair the headphones with your compatible device,there is a power and connection status indicator too,if you are wearing these and not connected you get an audible alert and the same applies when you do connect to a device.Call quality too was also crisp and clear so overall a good experience.
Connectivity
Connectivity is simple and these paired with many devices at ease which was great,,on your device you will of course see the name of the headset,if you are a user of many connected items this is handy to have,pairing is done in seconds,you just switch the button up and turn on your Bluetooth on device and follow the simple instructions,in all case it was just to confirm a number,this is the norm.
Conclusion.
Overall i was very impressed with these headphones,i am very picky and like quality,for the price you pay for these you are getting much more than expected,the sound is crisp and clear at all volumes and the build quality is also excellent,so these are worth every cent you pay for them in my view.Check out our unboxing and walkthrough below and if you have any questions fire off below..We would like to thanks Jabra once again for sending these over to us.
You can buy these direct from Jabra in the US or on Amazon AND Jabra UK
LG have dished out a new teaser of their upcoming LG G4, the G4 will be the successor of the G3 which has done quite well since launch,LG have upped their game over the years and are now a true competitor in the market,the G3 was certainly a nice device and the GFLEX2 also seems to be popular amongst the mobile community..
What we know so far it will have a leather back which is not appealing to some although it maybe an optional cover or case, and a decent camera with an f8.1 lens. Rumored specs are rife but we will left LG tell us all themselves on the 28th of April.. LG have a countdown time here for the event.
With battery anxiety been a heavy topic of late and how can it be solved going forward this gives some light on what lies ahead,given that manufacturers like to sell extras along with their device such as power bars and wireless chargers this is also a revenue stream for them so how likely they will uptake on this is another days work,but nonetheless its what the consumer wants as today battery life is still a problem especially for power users..
Aluminum has long been an attractive material for batteries, mainly because of its low cost, low flammability and high-charge storage capacity. For decades, researchers have tried unsuccessfully to develop a commercially viable aluminum-ion battery. A key challenge has been finding materials capable of producing sufficient voltage after repeated cycles of charging and discharging.
“We have developed a rechargeable aluminum-ion battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames,” said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford. “Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.”
“In our study, we have videos showing that you can drill through the aluminum battery pouch, and it will continue working for a while longer without catching fire,” Dai said. “But lithium batteries can go off in an unpredictable manner – in the air, the car or in your pocket. Besides safety, we have achieved major breakthroughs in aluminum-battery performance.”
“Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery,” he said. “But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density. Otherwise, our battery has everything else you’d dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It’s quite exciting.”
Loyalty cards are everywhere these days and if its not a card its a keyring/fob and they can add some bulk to your wallet or keychain,with bargain hunting ever more on the increase people like to get loyalty cards everywhere this then results in a wallet stuffed with plastic cards and over time becomes unbearable to carry.Now there is a solution for this..Whilst the app is Optimized for the USA, Canada, Australia & the United Kingdom its worth a mention and perhaps in the future it may also become available Ireland,but for those who travel can use the app and its free on Android,Windows Phone and iOS.
STOCARD IS FAST:
– The built in high-tech-camera scanner enables you to add rewards cards within seconds.
– Have your phone’s screen scanned for a faster transaction at properly equipped stores*.
STOCARD IS EASY TO USE:
– No registration necessary, start using Stocard right after downloading.
– Choose from over 1800 preset discount cards
Stocard supports all major loyalty cards, ranging from drug store cards (CVS, Walgreens, Shoppers Drug Mart) to airlines (American, United, Quantas) and hotels (Hilton, Starwood) to the most popular multi-partner cards like Air Miles, Everyday Rewards and flybuys.
Stocard even works with your favorite auto-club card (AAA, CAA, RACV).
– Add any not preset loyalty card as an “other loyalty card”.
– Discover exclusive coupons, discounts, flyers and circulars in Stocard – all related to your favorite stores!
+ ADVANCED FEATURES:
– Location based-widget: The location-based widget will show you the most relevant loyalty cards based on your location. (GPS turned off by default)
– Rewards cards on Android Wear: Stocard now supports your loyalty cards on Android Wear. Whenever you’re shopping, just pop-up your loyalty cards barcode on your new watch and have it scanned by the cashier to receive your discounts or points.
– You can even use Stocard for your airline-tickets and even gift cards.
If you are planning on buying the Apple watch there is good news,it will be available for it too..
Nuzzel is a news aggregate so to speak and since the app i used most which was called Taptu closed its services i began looking for another app,there is of course many others like FlipBoard,Feedy and gReader but i like to have a selection.
Nuzzle is simple to use and works rather smoothly and requires a FaceBook or Twitter login,this will then keep you up to date with things you may have missed from your friends and news they may have shared,its a rather nice app and deserves the mention.. You can also use Nuzzel to share interesting stories with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, email, or SMS.Within the app you can decide what news to read within timeframes and days..Also you can get customised alerts with breaking news from your friends.
If you have not seen the video,you can watch it below but to be honest i did think this test was unfair myself due to how it was conducted and i am happy Samsung have now officially responded to this if you watch the video below you will see how this test was completed across,first up is Samsungs own test via Samsung Tomorrow.
This is the test below that Squaretrade put out over the last few days showing the 6 Plus,the HTC One M9 and the S6 Edge.
Samsung Statement Official
Recently, there have been several reports about the durability of smartphones stemming from a You Tube video posted by SquareTrade. It shows several smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, being bent or broken under high pressure. In this video, the Galaxy S6 edge was broken under the pressure of 110lbf (50kgf), but there are two things that need to be addressed with regard to the video.
First, the video assumes a very specific condition – 110lbf (50kgf), which rarely occurs under normal circumstances. The normal force that generated when a person presses the back pocket is approximately 66lbf (30kgf). Our internal test results indicate that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are not bendable even under 79lbf (32kgf), which is equivalent to putting pressure to snap a bundle of five pencils at once.
Secondly, even though both front and back sides are exposed under the same level of pressure in normal circumstances, this test does not show the strength of the back side. Some smartphones have different durability in each the front and back sides respectively. SquareTrade has only tested the front side, which may mislead consumers about the entire durability of smartphones.
For this reason being, Samsung will officially deliver our statement to SquareTrade and ask them to conduct the stress test again which targets both front and back sides, and open the test result to the public.
All our devices are put rigorous high-quality validation tests before they are delivered to consumers. These tests include various conditions, such as dropping, bending, and breakage. And we are confident that all our smartphones are not bendable under daily usage.
At last One Plus owners can now obtain Oxygen OS but note its not an OTA it has to be flashed onto your device but it does contain some bug ,but this is to be expected and One Plus want to hear what you have to say..before you attempt to flash your device make sure you back it up first,after this process is complete OTA updates will available.
Developing OxygenOS has been an incredibly fun and challenging experience for all of us. In this environment where everyone is fighting to standout with custom ROMs, we think it’s important to go back to basics. We place things like performance and battery life over gimmicks and bloated features.
We want to be careful that we aren’t adding features simply for the sake of differentiation. We’ve implemented some important features thus far, but they are subtle and meaningful. That’s our philosophy behind OxygenOS: keep it light and essential.
We want to emphasize that we built this initial version so that you guys could begin taking a direct role in the future of Oxygen. To make sure we’re heading in the right direction, we need your input. On our forums, you’ll find a feedback app that allows you to submit your comments directly to our ROM team. We encourage you to use it; we can build a better OS together.
Also to note One Plus has been criticised to some extend especially when it came to RMAs and have vowed to fix this they have announced the following on their forum.
In the past, many of you felt that our customer support was lacking, and we heard you loud and clear. We’ve made the improvement of our support team a priority, and we’d love to share with you just some of the ways that we have been working to make the support experience amazing for every customer.
Our customer support team has grown exponentially. A year ago, the OnePlus CS team was our smallest department. Today, it’s the largest, and our team works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure all customer needs can be fulfilled.
After listening to feedback, we’ve made several notable changes to our existing warranty and return policy. Our one year manufacturer’s warranty on the OnePlus One now extends to all of our accessories. In addition, our 14 day no-questions-asked return policy has been extended to 15 days.
As for our RMA (return merchandise authorization) process, we’ve increased the numbers in our RMA and Payments teams, meaning more requests are filled each day. We’ve made improvements to our web platform, making it faster for our agents to assist whatever issues our customers may have. Our target is to shorten the turnaround time as much as possible and make sure you can have your repaired device back within 7 days.
One Plus is a year or so old and are trying really hard to help its customers so going forward they are moving in the right direction
Microsoft yet again dish out more goodies for Android and iOS users despite the lack of favours in return im sure people will be happy to hear they can now avail of the feature.However the version for Android is just a preview. Office Lens is a handy capture app that turns your smartphone into a pocket scanner. It crops, straightens, enhances, and makes pictures of whiteboards and documents readable. Pictures of documents are automatically saved to OneDrive and editable on any device.
Office Lens on iPhone
Identifies printed text with optical character recognition (OCR) so that you can search by key word for the image in OneNote or OneDrive.
Converts images of paper documents and whiteboard notes into Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and PDF files for easy editing and reformatting (see moredetails here).
Captures business cards and generates contacts you can add to your phone.
Inserts images to OneNote or OneDrive (as DOCX, PPTX, JPG or PDF format) and gives you options to save, export and share the image.
